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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27726208">A Quilted Memory</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaHorizon/pseuds/VanillaHorizon'>VanillaHorizon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Natevember 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, Natevember 2020, natevember</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:28:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,470</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27726208</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaHorizon/pseuds/VanillaHorizon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Did you know that the late Lady Howe quilted? That's where Nathaniel learned to sew well enough to stitch someone up.<br/>Day three of Natevember<br/>(Rated teen and up for adult language)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Cousland &amp; Nathaniel Howe, Female Cousland/Nathaniel Howe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Natevember 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2028047</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Quilted Memory</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm not sure if I'll be able to actually post all of the ones I have done today, but I'm hoping I can.<br/>Prompt: Gentle</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amelia was ranting as Nathaniel helped her sit down.</p><p>"The one time I leave the healer behind is the one time I get stabbed, what kind of shit luck is that?" she asked sarcastically, prompting Sigrun to cover a laugh with a forced cough.</p><p>"You know, I could almost ask you why a warrior is wearing light armor in the first place."</p><p>"Listen here you shit head, I am a small woman and most heavy armor weighs more than I do, so shut your whore mouth." This had caused Sigrun to lose all composure and start laughing so hard she had started to snort.</p><p>When he looked over toward her and Velanna, he was surprised to find that even the corner of Velanna's mouth had turned upward slightly at their commander's outburst. </p><p>"Velanna, get over here and cauterize this damn thing, please?" she asked.</p><p>"No, she will absolutely not," Nate immediately objected, causing Amelia to glare at him.</p><p>"And why the fuck not?" </p><p>Nathaniel shook his head at her in exasperation, "That will cause a much bigger scar than it needs to be."</p><p>"Then what do you suggest I do, bleed out as we make our way back to the keep?" she started.</p><p>"No- no, I get it, you just want to carry me all the way back, don't you?" she guessed.</p><p>"Amelia, do you ever shut up?" he countered.</p><p>By this time, Sigrun was laughing so hard that she was almost gasping for air.</p><p>Ignoring the cackling dwarf, he lowered himself down to sit beside her, pulling out a small needle and spool of thread as he did.</p><p>"Do you think you can sit still long enough to let me stitch you up?"</p><p>"Who says I can't stitch myself up?" she asked with a scowl.</p><p>He looked back to her face with a deadpan expression before asking her a simple, albeit somewhat sarcastic question.</p><p>"Does the great Amelia Cousland know how to even darn a sock properly?"</p><p>Her expression fell almost immediately and she didn't say anything else on the matter.</p><p>Velanna guided a still giggling Sigrun away from the two as Nathaniel knotted the thread.</p><p>"This is going to hurt quite a bit, would you like something to bite down on?"</p><p>Amelia looked over at him like he had asked the stupidest question she had ever heard.</p><p>"You do realize that I was just now going to simply have Velanna cauterize it, yes?"</p><p>"Okay, fine, I'm sorry I even asked."</p><p>They sat there quietly as Nate started to stitch her wound closed as gently as he could.</p><p>To Nate's surprise, she did not flinch quite as much as he had expected her to as he slowly stitched her wound.</p><p>Just as he was finishing up did she finally speak.</p><p>"Where did you learn to do this?" she asked just as he sliced the thread.</p><p>"I used to watch my mother quilt so much that I eventually asked her to teach me the basics."</p><p>She tilted her head ever so slightly to the side in momentary confusion but allowed a small smile to come to her face anyway at the mental image of a young Nate sitting at his mother's side learning something so very mundane in comparison to swordplay.</p><p>"Your father allowed that?" she couldn't help but ask.</p><p>He let out what seemed to be halfway between and scoff and a huff of laughter.</p><p>"I asked the same question, but do you want to know what my mother told me in response?" he questioned.</p><p>Without verbally answering, she nodded her head with a smile on her face.</p><p>"She told me <em>'What he doesn't know won't hurt him'</em> so then she taught me- even though I never could get the hang of quilting quite as well as she could."</p><p>Amelia nodded and let silence settle over them for a bit before speaking again.</p><p>"You know, while Fergus and I were cleaning up Highever after-" she trailed off for a moment before starting to speak again.</p><p>"I actually found the quilt she made for Fergus while we were there, Fergus almost tossed it in the fire in a small fit of rage, but I saved it and now it's on the bed I sleep in at Vigil's Keep."</p><p>A small smile crossed his features at hearing that.</p><p>"I'm glad to hear at least one of those quilts survived through the years," he admitted.</p><p>Amelia tilted her head a bit and glanced over at the rogue with a confused expression.</p><p>"I thought you took yours with you when you left?"</p><p>Nathaniel scoffed at that, "I wanted to, but as soon as my father saw it with my things he stole it and did the exact same thing he had done to my sister and brother's quilts as soon as she had died."</p><p>"He burned it?"</p><p>He didn't reply, but he did nod his response.</p><p>"I'm very sorry that happened, you didn't deserve to be treated like that."</p><p>Another silence settled over them after that until Amelia thanked him for stitching her up.</p><p>"If you had any amount of skill with a needle and thread I'm sure you would do the same," he told her with a thinly veiled tone of humor in his voice.</p><p>"You are an ass, Nathaniel Howe."</p><p>"So I've been repeatedly told."</p><p>***</p><p>Once back at the keep, she remembered the chat she had with Nathaniel and she thought back to the only other Howe quilt that she knew was likely still around.</p><p>The one made for her that very likely still sat folded neatly in the closet of her old bedroom at Highever as it had ever since she had received it.</p><p>With the thought still fresh in her mind as she walked into her room, she retrieved some ink and a piece of parchment to write a letter to her brother.</p><p>***</p><p>Around two weeks later Nathaniel walked into his room to find something laying on the end of his bed.</p><p>It was a decorative box, not exactly a small box, nor was it an extremely large box, but it certainly was not something he had been expecting either way.</p><p>Apparently, Anders had invited himself in when he noticed the door was standing open.</p><p>"Oh, is that a gift from a secret admirer?" Anders asked as he stepped closer to stand beside the rogue.</p><p>"Honestly, I'm unsure what it is or who it's from."</p><p>"So are you going to open it?"</p><p>Before Nathaniel could respond the mage was already speaking again.</p><p>"Because it looks like it might be something really fancy and maybe something very expensive."</p><p>Rolling his eyes at the mage, he finally stepped forward and lifted the box to eye level.</p><p>"This box looks familiar, but I can't place where I've seen it before," he told Anders before sitting it back down to remove the lid.</p><p>"I'll be wanting the box back, but what's inside is yours if you want it," Amelia's voice carried across the room from the doorway where she now stood.</p><p>Nate narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously before asking Anders to give them the room.</p><p>"At least let me know what it is later," the mage pleaded as Amelia guided him out the door before shutting it behind him.</p><p>"What is it, Amelia?" he asked as he crossed his arms and gave her a wary look.</p><p>"Maybe you should open it and find out," she suggested.</p><p>Glancing back down at the box he finally decided to just open it in order to get rid of the curiosity building inside of him.</p><p>He carefully removed the lid of the box, still all too aware of Amelia's eyes still watching him.</p><p>Inside was a rather familiar-looking quilt, which he gently lifted from the box, carefully admiring the handiwork.</p><p>"Amelia?" he called out for her without removing his gaze from the unmistakable stitches he remembered so well from his youth.</p><p>"Yes, Nate?" she asked as she moved to stand beside him.</p><p>"This is yours." it wasn't exactly a question, more like a statement, but she nodded anyway.</p><p>"I have the one she made Fergus now, and I figured you deserved the only other one I know of that still yet exists," she told him.</p><p>He didn't say anything in response, instead, he laid the quilt down on his bed and moved to wrap the small warrior in a tight embrace.</p><p>The action caught her by surprise, but she quite quickly wrapped her arms around his waist once she realized he was hugging her.</p><p>"You don't know what this means to me, Amelia," he said once he let go of her.</p><p>She nodded and cleared her throat in order to give herself a moment to rearrange her thoughts before she started speaking.</p><p>"No, I don't know, but I can imagine that it means quite a lot."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Literally stuffing my face with turkey as I type this end note.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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